Star Wars Episode IX: The Descendant of Evil

Chapter 10: Quest of the Unknown

        "What's a Star Destroyer doing here on Phonolukamy?" Rey was highly curious. She had to get a closer look at her discovery, but then she realized she stood on the edge of a cliff. She fell to her knees and looked over it to the drop below. Rey would jump, but she knew she would become a pancake if she did. Therefore, to start her journey to the wrecked starship, she climbed down the cliff's face. Rey had no idea if she was holding her breath or not the entire time. Her boot hit a loose platform, and it broke under her weight. Yelping, the young woman glued her body to the wall. She watched as the pieces of the platform crashed into the desolate landscape below.

Teeth clenched, she peeped over her shoulder to the Star Destroyer. "I have to go there," she told herself. The wreck called her. Did it expect her?

While Rey helplessly hung from the wall, she wished she was back on Supher. She would choose Supher's tropical atmosphere over Phonolukamy's dystopian one any day, but she knew she could not return until she completed her mission. Perhaps something in the Destroyer would give her a clue about how she should approach Ben the next time she saw him. She knew he was coming after her, and she had to be ready when he reached her. What Rey needed was a little more Jedi training. She felt she would get just that if she took a day trip to the starship. With that thought in mind, she continued down the wall.

Rey climbed for she didn't know how long, but eventually, she reached the bottom of the cliff and hopped off it. Now the Star Destroyer was directly in front of her. Just staring at it, Rey felt an overwhelming amount of dark energy. She looked up to a broken window and nodded to herself. Just when she finished her climb, she had to take another one. Standing next to the Star Destroyer, she looked like a speck of dust. A huge moon hovered behind it, and it took up the length of the sky.

Rey thought she heard someone say, "Come, child," from the frame of the window she wanted to enter from. Was it a ghost? Rey had no idea.

She rested her hand on the hilt of her lightsaber and started toward the starship.

"Reach out to your destiny, or I will do it myself," the voice told her.

"The Beacerika is not going to capture me," Rey explained, "so you can stop using it as a weapon against me. Just watch. I am going to turn Ben Solo, and you're not going to get in my way."

"Oh, so you know who I am?"

"I have a pretty good feeling about it."

"Very well then. I'll meet you inside." Just like that, the presence left Rey's head. That told her it had gone inside the Star Destroyer.

She stopped next to it and climbed onto the ship's nose. Rey sauntered across the top of it and headed for the broken window. Eventually reaching it, she hopped onto the window frame–where the presence just was–and peered into the interior of her find.

What she was looking at was the Destroyer's bridge. Old, busted computers had been scattered on the floor, as well as broken astromechs and droids. Resting on top of one of the droids was an old, black cape. Seeing it, Rey headed inside to the dark bridge and came within reach of it. She picked up the cape and wrapped it around her shoulders. She had to admit, it was extremely cold on Phonolukamy.

To prepare herself for whatever she was about to get herself into, the young woman took her lightsaber off her belt and ignited it. With it in hand, she studied the Destroyer's bridge. There was something in there; she just knew that. Whatever it was, it was going to change her forever.

***

Kylo Ren could see and feel everything Rey did from his headquarters. He did not need to be on Phonolukamy to do so. Just like the days leading up to the battle in Snoke's throne room, the Force connected the two youths.